


The Kingdom of Alirion

by TheLadyMerlin



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: tamingthemuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 03:57:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1154590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyMerlin/pseuds/TheLadyMerlin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xander listens while Spike tells Dawn a story</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kingdom of Alirion

**Title:** The Kingdom of Alirion  
 **Author:** The Lady Merlin  
 **Rating:** R  
 **Warnings:** None  
 **Pairing:** pre - Spike/Xander   
**Prompt:** Community: Taming the Muse #392 Hinterlands  
 **Chapter:** 1/1  
 **Status:** complete  
 **Fandom:** BtVS  
 **Genre:** AU   
**Beta (s):** none, proofread  
 **Disclaimer:** not mine, all belongs to Joss  
 **Graphic:** none  
 **Summary:**   
**A/N:** A small, fluffy little fic while I'm busy working on other things. :)

 

The piercing cries had barely tapered off to sobs by the time Xander had reached Dawn's room. He wasn't surprised to find that her vampire bodyguard, as usual, had gotten there first. In Xander's defence, Spike had taken to camping out in the hallway recently, which cut the response time immensely. Xander would have considered it an unfair advantage, if he was keeping score. He wasn't. Well, not really. As he watched the soft, gentle caresses soothe Dawn, a sharp pang swept through him. It wasn't the first time watching this, by now familiar, scene engendered such a reaction. The first time it occurred he'd been so overcome by shock at the caring displayed by something, someone, he'd always been told was incapable of such emotion. They'd been so very wrong. Now that his shock was gone and he was able to examine his feelings, he understood exactly what they were. He was jealous. Insanely, irrevocably jealous. Now he just needed to find out _who_ he was jealous of! Or was it both of them? They were so....

 

“Better now, Bit?”

Dawn sniffled and took the tissue Spike held out to her. “Yeah,” she said, before blowing her nose and tossing the used Kleenex in the general direction of the waste bin. 

Spike fussed over fluffing her pillows, then eased her carefully back against them. “Think you can get back to sleep?”

She looked back at him with watery eyes, pouted and shook her head. She scooted over and patted the empty space next her. “Do you mind staying for a while?”

“Course not,” Spike replied, kicking off his boots and settling next to her. She leaned against him and sighed. “What is it?”

“I don't know, really. Can't get that nasty dream out of my head.” She turned to meet his eyes. “Tell me a story?”

Spike smiled indulgently. He never could deny her anything it was in his power to grant. “As you wish.” They both grinned at the familiar line. Dawn knowing she was about to hear a fairy tale story and Spike happy he could give her what she needed. “The Kingdom of Alirion was ruled by a wise and gentle Queen, known for her kindness and famous for her hot chocolate. People would travel for miles and miles, through great hardships just for a taste of that magical ambrosia.”

“What was her name?”

“Huh? Who?”

Dawn giggled. “The Queen, silly.”

“Oh, right. Jo-Jayne, her name was Jayne. Now hush and let me tell the story. Uh, where was I again?”

“Hot chocolate,” Dawn supplied.

“Right. They came from miles around just for a taste. Now Queen Jayne didn't live alone in the castle. Her two beautiful daughters, Princess Elisabeth and Princess Dawn, lived there, too. Elisabeth was the eldest, and she was a strong warrior, who fought against all the evil which threatened her mother's kingdom. 

“Then there was the pretty, little Dawn. She wasn't a strong fighter like her sister, and she couldn't make a magical brew like her mother. But she was special all the same. She was so special that an evil sorceress from a neighbouring kingdom wanted to kidnap her. The Queen and Elisabeth both loved Dawn so very much and they weren't going to let that happen. 

“So they called upon their bravest knights, the Dark Knight William and the White Knight Alex, and charged them with taking young Dawn away to the Hinterlands, where she would be safe until the danger was over. They both loved Dawn like a sister and were happy to help.”

“I don't understand,” Dawn interrupted, softly.

“What don't you understand?”

“Why would they go to all that trouble. I mean, she's not anything special. No special powers or anything. So why bother?”

“Why bother!? Now you listen to me, Bit. She was special. You don't need super powers or cooking skills to be important. Sometimes all a person has to be is themselves and nothing more. You see they have the greatest power of all...love. They can tame even the meanest monster, for that was what William had been before he met the Princess Dawn. He'd been a bad, rude man, but she made him want to be good. She cared for him when she shouldn't and she trusted him when no-one else did. And he wanted to earn that trust. So he changed and he swore to protect her always.”

“Forever and ever?”

“Forever and ever, Lil' Bit.”

Dawn pulled him into a bone crushing hug and whispered in his ear, “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Spike whispered back, before gently pulling away. “Think you can sleep now?”

“Yes,” she replied, winking up at Xander, who'd been standing in the doorway watching. “Love you, too, Xander.”

Xander smiled. “Right back at ya, Dawnie.”

Spike rose, tucked Dawn back in her bed and headed for the door. He paused in the hallway, looking back inside. “You are special, ya know?”

Dawn smiled. “So are you. Night.” With that she snuggled down and closed her eyes; leaving Spike standing in the hallway looking gobsmacked.

“She's right. You are,” Xander said, reaching around Spike and gently closing the bedroom door. “Ya know, every time this happened and you went in there and consoled her, I was jealous. Up until this moment, I haven't been able to figure out why, or I suppose I should say who, I've been jealous of.” Xander slid a hand around the back of Spike's neck and tugged ever so slightly. “It was her,” he breathed, leaning forward and kissing Spike lightly on the lips. “All this time, you've been right there. Everything I'd been looking for and it took a child to make me see it. I want you. I want the bravest knight in all the land.”

“I think that could be arranged Sir Alex,” Spike laughed, kissing those pouting lips and laughing again. “Yeah. I think it just might work.”

~ Mòran taing ~


End file.
